Endangered Species Around Alabama

Female, digging in the sand

• Main cause of endangerment
  • Humans use eggs for food or aphrodisiacs
  • Pollution -- they often mistake plastic for jellyfish
  • Hit by boat
  • Appearance
    • Leathery, rubbery skin
    • Bluish black with white speckles
    • Fun facts
      • Largest turtles on Earth
      • Evolutionary roots date back 100 million years
      • Widest distribution of any reptile
      • What you can do to help
        • Don't litter. Always throw your trash in a trash or recycle bin.
        • Source(s)
        • http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/leatherback-sea-turtle/

• Main cause of endangerment
  • Disturbance to its nesting areas
  • Trapped and killed in fish nets and crab traps
  • Are illegally trapped for food
  • Nests are raided for eggs
• Habitat
  • Shallow waters
• Appearance
  • Yellow stripes on head, neck, and feet
  • Upper shell can be black or dark brown with reddish, orangish, and yellowish markings
  • Lower shell can be red or pale yellow and can have dark markings
• Fun facts
  • Alabama’s state reptile
• What you can do to help
  • Be more careful when near a turtle’s nesting area
• Sources
  • http://www.outdooralabama.com/watchable-wildlife/what/Reptiles/Turtles/arbt.cfm

• Main causes of endangerment
  • Development of beaches - improper handling of habitat
  • New predatory species
• Habitat
  • Burrows in sand dunes on the beach
• Appearance
  • Small
  • Brownish on top, white on bottom
  • Large black eyes
• Fun facts
  • Mostly nocturnal
  • Weight is less than three nickels
  • In the wild, they generally live nine months to a year
  • Often only have one mate their whole lives
  • Can make up to 10 intricate burrows in their family unit's territory
• What you can do to help
  • Don't use poisons or mouse traps while on the beach
  • Don't walk on the dunes-- use the raised walkways to get to the beach
  • Don't litter and put your trash in secure garbage cans
  • Don't plant foreign vegetation on the beach
  • Spread the word! Not many people know about the Alabama beach mouse.
• Sources
  • http://greenglobaltravel.com/2012/11/10/alabama-beach-mouse-endangered-species-2/
  • http://www.orangebeach.ws/Alabama_Beach_Mouse.html

• Main cause of endangerment
  • Loss of habitat
  • Rattlesnake traps
  • Use as pets
  • Pesticides or other poisons meant for other animals
• Habitat
  • In Alabama, sand ridges
  • Use the burrows of gopher tortoises
  • Often live around bogs, swamps, and ponds
  • Rivers and streams that run through dry areas
• Appearance
  • Very dark, inky bluish black
  • Some individuals have brown coloring on the sides of the head
  • Average length: 6-7 feet long
• Fun Facts
  • Nonpoisonous
  • Often mistaken for the common black racer, which is more slender and less shiny
• What you can do to help
  • Avoid using pesticides
  • Be careful when developing land
  • Raise awareness -- snakes can been seen as pests. People who are unaware that the eastern indigo snake is threatened might kill them.
• Source(s)
  • http://www.outdooralabama.com/watchable-wildlife/what/Reptiles/Snakes/eis.cfm
  • http://webhome.broward.edu//~ssimpson/IndigoSnake.htm

• Main causes of endangerment
  • Dislocation due to huge decline in the ecosystem of their favored kind of tree, the longleaf pine
• Habitat
  • Almost 97% of the land the pines once occupied no longer houses any of these trees
  • Pine forests
• Appearance
  • Enjoy building nests in the living part of century-old longleaf pines
  • Prefer pines infected with red heart disease, as it makes the wood softer and easier to excavate
  • Will also burrow in loblolly, shortleaf, or slash pines
  • Sometimes will burrow in dead trees, as the wood is soft
  • Seven inches long with a fifteen-inch wingspan
  • White cheeks, back and top of head are black
  • Back is black with white bars
  • The red cockade, a small red bar above the cheek, from which they get their name is only found on males and is usually difficult to spot
• Fun facts
  • Complicated family system consisting of two to nine birds, usually with one pair of mates and the rest young or "helpers" (young males from previous mating seasons)
  • Diet mainly consists of insects found in trees, but they also eat seeds and fruits
• What you can do to help
  • Donate to or raise awareness of any organizations or programs dedicated to helping this species
• Source(s)
  • http://www.outdooralabama.com/watchable-wildlife/Birds/woodpeckers/rcw.cfm
  • http://www.myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/birds/woodpeckers/red-cockaded-woodpecker/

Threatened Species

• Main cause of endangerment
  • A loss of the milkweed which their young feed on
  • Pesticides used on plants
• Habitat
  • Open fields and meadows
• Appearance
  • The wings are black and orangish-yellowish
  • The tips of the wings and head are black with white dots
• Fun facts
  • Poisonous to predators such as frogs, mice, and birds
• What you can do to help
  • Cut down on pesticides and use more organic ways like spiders or lady bugs to keep pests away
• Source
  • http://www.monarch-butterfly.com/monarch-butterflies-facts.html